Wall mounted continuous track and handrail assembly



United States Patent [4] WALL MOUNTED CONTINUOUS TRACK AND ABSTRACT: Ahandrailing structure wherein an open-faced HANDRAIL ASSEMBLY channelmember coextensive in length with that of the hansclaims6nrawing Figsdrall permits the bracket supports for the handrail to be placed at anylocation along the longitudinal extent thereof.

[52] U.S. Th h drail i mo nted on the channel member by a plurality ofbracket elements that have opposed leg portions disposed within thechannel. A spreader brace disposed between the opposed leg portions ofthe bracket element in spreading enso]FieldofSearch......................................::... 256/65- 243/251gagemcnt therewith holds the leg portions in tight, frictionalReferences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l2/l960Meyers.........................

engagement with the sidewalls of the channel member. A cover plateclosing those areas of the channel member not occupied by the supportingbracket elements gives the structure a finished appearance.

Patented Dec. 1, 1970 v 3,544,072

sqL lllIl-ll I F 32 i WHF'W Hi1m T flA H9 32 M IIW INVENTOR Wenze/ w. Th

ATTORNEYS,

WALL MOUNTED CONTINUOUS TRACK AND HANDRAIL ASSEMBLY This inventionrelates to railing assemblies adapted for mounting on an upright wall,either along a hallway or on a stairway, and particularly toan improvedhandrailing structure wherein the bracket supports for the handrail maybe positioned at any desired points along the length of the handrailwithout regard to the location of an upright support in an adjacentwall.

in prior handrailing structures of this general type it has generallybeen necessary to determine the locations of studs in the wall in orderthat the railing may be directly attached thereto. If the railingstructure was prefabricated by the manufacturer, the installer then hadto make time consuming structural changes in the assembly to adapt thesame to a particular stud spacing. This undesirable approach detractedfrom the appearance of the assembly and added to the cost ofinstallation of the railing. One method of overcoming thesedisadvantages has been to attach the rail to the wall at selectedintervals along the length thereof regardless of the disposition of theupright studs in the wall. This required the use of special anchoringbolts and in any case, the structural support obtained from thewallboard or similar materials was not sufficient to firmly anchor therailing against excessive pressures applied thereto. Another-alternativemethod-for attaching a handrail has been to provide a supporting bracketfor the rail in the form of a flange that was coextensive in length withthe rail and which thereby allowed the installer to drive an anchoringscrew through'the flange into a structural support such as a stud at anypoint along the length of the rail. While this arrangement provided theneeded structural support without interfering with the railing design,the added weight gave rise to substantially increased shipping costs,the unit was somewhat cumbersome to handle, and increased manufacturingcosts resulting from the added material required to form the continuoussupporting bracket.

it is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide arailing assembly adapted for construction and sale in prefabricated formwhich may be attached to a supporting wall without regard to thelocation of studs therein by virtue of the provision of novelcomponent-parts, including a channel member which is coextensive inlength with the rail and is Another object of the invention is toprovide a prefabricated railing wherein the supporting brackets may belocated only where they are needed for structural support and need notbe provided throughout the length of the handrail to minimize theoverall cost of the assembly.

Also an important object of the invention is to provide a handrailassembly wherein the channel member for supporting the handrail bracketsis adapted to be secured to the wall studs prior to positioning of thewall board on the studs to thereby facilitate installation of thehandrailing, permit firm fixture of the assembly to the wall and allowrecessing of the channel in the wall so that it does not in any waydetract from the appearance of the completed handrailing.

it is also an object of the invention to provide a prefabricated railingstructure wherein all component parts of the completed assembly are ofuniform cross section throughout their lengths to permit the same to beprefabricated of lightweight material having a high strengthto-rateratio and employing an extrusion process which thereby substantiallylowers the cost of the completed unit.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a prefabricatedrailing structure wherein the position of the supporting brackets isinfinitely variable along an elongated channel therefore, and a coverplate disposed within the channel in all areas of the same not occupiedby the supporting brackets gives a finished appearance to the assembly.

Other objects of the invention will be made clear or become apparentfrom the following specification and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the railing structure ofthis invention shown in the normal position thereof mounted on a wall;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the railing structure andthe adjacent wall as shown in HO. 1 and taken along the center of thelongitudinal axis of the bracket element and rail support;

FlG.3 is an exploded rear perspective view of certain parts of therailing structure and illustrating the bracket element and theassociated component parts that hold the bracket element in engagementwith the channel member;

FIG. 4 is a partial front elevational view of an alternative form ofrailing mounted on an elongated channel according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG.

4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showingthe cover plate that serves as a filler strip over those areas of thechannel member not occupied by the bracket elements.

Referring to the drawing. the railing structure is designated generallyby the numeral 10 and is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 fastened to a'wall 12.The structure 10 includes an elongated,

'tubular handrail 14 that is held within a cradle bracket member 16 by apair of screws 18. The cradle member 16 is secured to a conical spacersupport 20 by a threaded fastener 22 and the support 20 is in turnfastened to a bracket plate element 24 by a mounting screw 26. A cap 28is secured to the exposed end of the threaded fastener 22 by a setscrew30.

An open-faced channel member designated generally by the numeral 32 hassidewalls 34 and 36 that present opposed sur-- upright stud 46 of wall12 through a plurality of appropriate screws such as those designated bythe numeral 48.

The plate element 24 is provided with a pair of spaced. screw receivingapertures 50 adapted to be located opposite the opening defined by thesidewalls 34 and 36 of channel member 32 and has opposed leg portions 52and 54 positionable within the channel defined by member 32. Laterallyextending shoulders 56 and 58 of the bracket element 24 abut the lateralsections 42. and 44 respectively when the element 24 is mounted onmember 32.

A spreader brace in the form of an elongated, transversely trapezoidalbar 60-is provided with a pair .of threaded apertures 62 in spacedrelationship for alinement with the apertures 50in plate 24. Opposedside margins of bar 60 present a pair of converging surfaces 64 and 66that are configured to engage the opposed leg portions 52 and 54 ofchannel member 32. A pair of threaded screws 68 passing through openings50 and threaded into apertures 62 serve to hold the elongated bar 60against the opposed leg portions 52 and 54 in spreading, frictionalengagement therewith and thus firmly affix the bracket element 24 to thechannel member 32.

A cover plate 70 serves as a filler strip along those portions of thechannel member 32 not occupied by the bracket elements 24. The coverplate 70 has an elongated planar section 72 of greater width than thetransverse dimension of the openbody that has a continuous, upwardlyfacing, uninterrupted convex surface and includes an integral,depending, continuous stem 117 that is secured to an S-shaped bracketelement 124 by a suitable fastener 119. 7

The bracket element 124 is provided with a-plate portion having opposedleg portions 152 and 154 that are similar to the leg portions 52 and 54of the bracket element 24 previously described. The bracket element 124is secured to the channel member 32 through use of threaded screws 68that are threaded into apertures 62 of elongated bar 60.

in securing the handrail 14 to the wall 12, the channel member 32 is cutto the desired length and secured to the building studs 46, preferablybefore the wallboard 12 or other similar material is placed in position.Mounting of channel member 32 on studs 46 before placement of wallboardthereover permits the installer to readily drill appropriate holesthrough the bight of the channel 32 and drive fastening I screws intothe upright studs. The wall boards can then be cut.

and positioned above and below the channel member 32 with lateralextensions 42 and 44 serving to protect the edges ofthe wallboard frombeing crushed or damaged adjacent the channel member.

Each of the bracket elements 24 are then positioned along I the channelmember 32 wherever desired for aesthetic and structural support purposeswithout regard to the location of the studs 46. The opposed leg portions52 and 54 of each bracket are disposed within the opening presented bythe sidewalls 34 and 36 of channel 32, and the elongated bar 60 isplaced between the leg portions 52 and 54 with the apertures 50 and 62in alinement Threaded screws 68 are next pushed through the apertures 50and threaded into apertures 62 whereby the elongated bar 60 is drawnoutwardly against the opposed leg portions 52 and 54 of plate 24 to holdthe legs in tight frictional engagement with opposed surfaces 38 and 40and at the same time securely affix bracket element 24 to the channelmember 32. After the bracket element 24 has been secured to the channelmember 32, the remainder of the railing structure may be assembled in amanner that is apparent to those skilled in the art. g

Finally, sections of cover plate material 70 are cut to length andforced into the space between adjacent brackets 24. In so doing, theyieldable extensions 70 deflect inwardly sufficiently to clear the outerperipheral edges of the channel member 32 and then spring outwardlysufficiently to firmly engage opposed wall surfaces 34 and 36 ofthechannel. 1

The handrail 114 is secured to the channel member v3-2 through bracketelement 124 in the same manner described above for the handrail 14. itis to be noted that all of the component parts of the railing structureherein described are of a uniform cross section throughout theirlengths, thereby permitting them to be formed of a relatively highstrength lightweight material using conventional extrusion techniques.

While the invention has been described as having particular advantagesfor securing a handrail to the upright studs of a wall, it is readilyapparent that the handrailing structure herein" described may be securedto any appropriate support. Other modifications and details ofconstruction from the embodiment of the invention shown and describedhereincan be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

lclaim: 1. [n a handrailing structure:

an open-faced channel member having sidewalls presenting opposedsurfaces and which convergeas the opening defined thereby is approached,said member being adapted to be secured to a support therefor;

a handrail having a bracket elementconnected thereto for mounting thehandrail on said channel member. said element having opposed legportions disposed within said channel; m a spreader brace disposedbetween said opposed legpbr tions of the bracket element; and connectermeans'on the bracketfor holding said spreader brace in a position 'tomaintain said leg portions of the 3. The invention of claim 1,whereinsaid bracket element is provided with a plurality of first.apertures. therein opposite said opening. said spreader brace beingdefined by an elongated bar having a plurality of threaded secondapertures therein in alinement with said first apertures and providedwith a pair of converging surfaces configured to engage said opposed legportions of said bracket element, and said connecter means comprises aplurality ofthreaded screws passing through said first aperturesandthreaded into the second apertures.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein said channel member is a continuouselongated body of uniform cross-sectional configuration, and a coverplate disposed within said channel adjacent said bracket element, saidcover plate having an elongated planar section of a width greater thanthe transverse dimension of said opening and providedwith a pair ofyieldable extensions in engagement with said opposed surfaces of thechannel member;

5. In a'handrailing structure: an open-faced channelmember havingsidewalls presenting opposed surfaces which converge as'the openingdefined thereby is approached and including'a lateral section integralwith each-;of said sidewalls and extending therefrom in a directiongenerally perpendicularto said channel; a handrail having a bracketelement connected thereto for mounting said handrail on said channelmember. said elc ment being provided with a plurality of first aperturesi an elongated-bar having a plurality ofthreaded second aper- 4 turestherein in alinement with said first apertures, and presenting a'pair ofconverging surfaces configured to engage said opposed-leg portionsofsaid bracket element; and a;

a plurality of threaded screws passing through said first apertures andthreaded into the second apertures for maintaining the bar in tightfrictional engagement with said opposed leg portions of the channelmember to -thereby securely affix the handrail to the channel member

